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NEW! Loving Lucianna

Sir Balduin de
Soler gave up long ago on love. He never had the means to support a wife until
an unexpected advancement in his fifties allows him to reassess his future just
as the lovely Lucianna enters his life.

Lucianna Fabio
harbors a secret, painful memory from her past that has kept her unwed, as
well. Now in her forties, she thought herself too old to marry until she meets
Sir Balduin. Now suddenly their lonely autumn lives feel very much like spring
again . . . until Lucianna’s brother appears without warning and threatens to
revive the secret that will destroy Lucianna’s second chance at love.

Loving
Lucianna is the first in my new “Hearts in Autumn” romance series,
medieval romances revolving around heroes and heroines “in the autumn of their
years.” Because you’re never too old to fall in love!”

Heléne
de Laurant has not forgotten how the Earl of Gunthar destroyed her father’s
castle during Henry II’s war with his sons. Apparently neither have her family
and friends, for when someone tries to murder Gunthar, every sign points in their
direction. Heléne realizes the only way to prove her loved ones’ innocence is
by exposing the true assassin.

As
Heléne and Gunthar spar over the identity of the traitor, fierce determination
gives way to mutual attraction. Heléne must race against time, and dark secrets
of the past, to unmask the would-be killer before the kingdom plunges back into
war and takes the life of the man she has unexpectedly learned to love.

Siri
de Calendri was trained in the art of illumination in her brother’s workshop in
12th century Venice, but when her brother dies his will sends her far from
home. Siri travels to the faraway county of Poitou in France, where she enters
the guardianship of her brother’s friend, Triston de Brielle. Once settled, she
hopes to find employment in an illuminator’s shop— until Triston unexpectedly
snatches her heart away with a kiss.

Triston
is a man of quiet honor and courage, but the guilt he carries for the death of
his wife, Clothilde, has left him numb and hesitant to love again. Worse yet,
Siri bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Or does she? Her merry
laughter and twinkling eyes are very different from his late wife's shy smiles
and quiet ways. Yet when he gazes into Siri's face, all he sees is Clothilde.

Then
Triston's past returns to threaten them both. Trapped between the rivalry of
the king's sons on the one hand and a neighbor out for vengeance on the other,
Triston realizes it would be safer to send Siri away. Siri is determined not to
be cast off and not to live in another woman’s shadow. She has illuminated many
a priceless book with pen and paint, but can her own vibrant spirit illuminate
the darkness in Triston’s soul and make his heart beat for her alone?

Her
father has been accused of stealing from the king, an allegation that has
reduced her family to poverty. She has one chance to find and marry a man who
can help her prove her father's innocence. Lord Therri, heir to a rich barony,
has the wealth and connections Mathilde needs to delve into the mysteries of
her father's past. Furthermore, Therri embodies all her romantic dreams.

Etienne,
the younger son of a disgraced family, has neither wealth nor connections, but
is smitten with Mathilde at a glance. She finds the knight intriguing, but
believes he is only out to seduce her. While she seeks for a way to win
Therri's attention, Etienne tricks her into granting him her favor, an
embroidered white ribbon, for a tournament, setting in motion a dangerous chain
reaction of events. Can Etienne save Mathilde from a nightmare from her past
and prove himself the true hero of her dreams?

When Burthred comes courting on Christmas Eve, Meg rejects his advances. She has her heart set on becoming a nun and insists that he call her Christina, the spiritual name she has chosen for herself. She tries to make him swear on her box of holy relics that he will not pursue her, but he carefully words his oath to allow him to stay in her candlelit chamber and try to change her mind.

What Meg does not confess is that her reliquary box holds a secret.

Burthred needs a wife, and no one will satisfy him except Meg. He swore on his father’s deathbed that he would marry her. But Burthred has a secret, too. When they come together before the Yule fire, their shared revelations will either join their hearts together or tear them apart.

In
Joyce DiPastena’s charming medieval story, "Caroles on the Green," we
enter England of 1151, in which Lady Isabel has a dilemma. She promises herself
that she’ll marry the man who sent a ring hidden in her pastry since the man
she truly loves, Sir Lucian de Warrene, has proved to be impossible and
exasperating. To forget him, Isabel sets her eyes on other eligible men, only
to face another confrontation with Lucian—who isn’t about to back off and leave
her to her newest plot.

Arthur
and Marriot are among the poorest of the poor serfs in 12th Century England.
Some call them chattel, no better than the oxen that plow the baron’s fields.
While the Yule log roars in the great castle hearth and the baron and his
household feast on Christmas goose, Arthur’s family shivers in the cold. Serfs
are not meant to dream or love, but Arthur dares to do both. Twelve days after
Christmas, on the gift giving day of Epiphany, Arthur makes a sacrifice that
will change the future of one of his family members forever.

Author's
note: Robin is the hero of The Lady and the Minstrel, a full length romantic
historical coming in 2014.

Medieval
author Joyce DiPastena is always on the lookout for authentic medieval names
for her characters. Internet searches are helpful, but occasionally they can
lead a writer astray. Accurate lists can be found on the internet, but it can
take a deal of searching and double-checking of sources. In "Name Your
Medieval Character: Medieval Christian Names (12th-13th Centuries)",
DiPastena has done much of this work for you. "Name Your Medieval Character"
is a compilation of her 30-plus years of research into medieval Christian
names. Every name and name variation in this book was borne by a living,
breathing medieval man or woman.

"Name
Your Medieval Characters" includes over 800 female names (including
variations) and over 1500 male names (including variations). This book will
prove a treasure trove for historical fiction writers, fantasy writers, gamers,
or anyone who just enjoys names!

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About Me

Joyce DiPastena fell in love with the Middle Ages when she first read Thomas B. Costain’s THE CONQUERING FAMILY in high school. A graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree specializing in medieval history, she is a multi-published, multi-award winning author. She specializes in sweet medieval romances heavily spiced with mystery and adventure.
Joyce lives in Arizona with her two cats, Clio and Glinka Rimsky-Korsokov

Joyce's books and stories

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Are you an author of historical novels? I'd love to interview you for my JDP NEWS blog! I'm looking for World War II or earlier settings: "sweet" romances (W/M only), mysteries, or straight fiction. No profanity or graphic sex scenes, please. I'm also not looking for fantasy set in quasi-historical times. Just good old-fashioned historical fiction.

If you'd like to be interviewed for my blog, email me at jdipastena@yahoo.com and include a link where I can read something about your book.

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"As an inspiration to the author, I do not think the cat can be over-estimated. He suggests so much grace, power, beauty, motion, mysticism. I do not wonder that many writers love cats; I am only surprised that all do not." ~ Carl Can Vechten